Car-coupling



(No Mode 1.)

- A. S. BAILEY.

GAR COUPLING. No. 372,286. I Patented Nov. 1, 1 887.

(it. i

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E;

ALEXANDER STEPHEN BAILEY, OF SENEY, GEORGIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,286, dated November1, 1887.

Application filed September 14, 1887. Serial No. 249,706. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER STEPHEN BAILEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Seney, in the county of Polk and State of Georgia,have invented new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in car-couplings; and it consistsina certain novel construction and arrangement of parts fully set forthhereinafter, and specifically pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side View of two couplers constructedaccording to my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the drawheads.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the draw-head, havingthe ordinary flared mouth, and the upper side of the said head is leftopen and provided with a pivoted lid or door, B, having a longitudinalslot, 0, therein. Within the draw-head is pivoted the coupling-hook D,under the lid B, and having a downwardly-beveled front end. The lowerend-of the said hook is adapted, when in its lowered or engagingposition, to restin aslot or socket, E, in the lower side of thedrawhead opening.

G designates an uncoupling cord or chain attached at the lower end tothe c'oupli ng-h0ok near the front end andpassing up through the slot 0in the lid or door B, whence it is conveyed over a pulley or through anysuitable guide, so that the other end of the said cord or chain willbewithin reach of the trainhands.

The coupling-link is represented by the letter H.

The operation "of the device will-be obvious from the above. As two carsprovided with my improved couplers approach each other to couple, thefront end of the coupling-link, which is borne by one of the draw-heads,enters the flared mouth of the other draw-head, bears against thebeveled front end of the hook therein, and raises the same. As the hookis directly under the pivoted lid or door B, and

is in contact with the under side thereof, as the hook rises it alsoraises the front end of the said lid or door, and when the couplinglinkhas passed sufficiently into the draw-head the hook will drop, engagingat the end in the slot in the lower side of the draw-head opening, andthe lid B will also'drop.

The object in providing the upper side ofthe draw-head with a pivoted orhinged lid is as follows: The hook must be of sufficient size to bestrong enough to withstand the strain imposed upon it, and it is ofadvantage to have the drawhead as small as possible. Therefore theremust be an opening in the upper side of the draw-head to allow the hookto operate, and, as to leave the said opening open at all timeswouldallow dirt to enter the drawhead and interfere with the action ofthe hook, the said opening is provided with a lid which will be operatedby the hook, rising when it rises and closing the opening'at all othertimes. A further object of the said lid or door is to render the hookheavier to form a surcr coupling.

Having thus described my invention, I claim In a car-coupling, thecombination of the draw-head A, having an opening in the upper side,coupling-hook pivoted within the drawhead and having a beveled front endand adapted to engage at the end in a slot or socket in thelower side ofthe draw-head, the pivoted or hinged door or lid B over the opening inthe upper side of the draw-head, having a slot, 0, therein, the said lidbeing adapted to be raised by the hook when a coupling is formed and toclose the said opening in the lowered position, and the cord or chainconnected to the end of the hook and passing through the slot 0, as andfor the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

, ALEXANDER STEPHEN BAILEY.

Witnesses:

W. J. BRIDGES, HENRY Box.

